Hey guys, this is my first post at SPCR, but I've been reading tons of articles and reviews and posts over the past few weeks trying to decide on components for my new rig.

My goals are to get the most performance for around $1k ($1,200 is fine), packed into a small, quiet case. I don't plan on upgrading for the next few years, except perhaps the graphics card if I want to seriously game in 3D. I do want to play around with overclocking.

CPU Cooler: Either Noctua NH-U12P SE2 (preferable, as long as it fits in the case with both fans, because I hear the i5-3570K gets pretty hot when overclocking) or Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (thinner heat sink) with 2 quieter fanshttp://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=prod ... =31&lng=enhttp://www.coolermaster-usa.com/product ... 0212%20EVOI compared pictures of the below motherboard and the one used in the Temjin TJ08-E review on SPCR. The CPU position on board below seems to be about 15mm further away from the side of the board with the RAM slots. This should allow just enough space for the NH-U12P with fans on both sides, although I am going to buy the case and motherboard first and measure myself.

Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-Mhttp://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_ ... 55/P8Z77M/ASUS is on top of their game, chipset allows for full overclocking, S/PDIF audio output, USB 3.0, SATA 6GB/s, legacy PCI slot is in the most usable position furthest from the primary PCIe x16, guaranteed to have enough 4-pin fan connectors and software features to regulate everything once I figure all that out

Graphics Card: HIS IceQ X Radeon HD 6870 1GBhttp://www.hisdigital.com/un/product2-592.shtmlGoing with AMD for their open source driver philosophy, right price point, cool and quiet without custom fan and heat sink, I can upgrade to the next generation PCIe 3.0 series in a year or two

Make sure to cross-shop the Silverstone PS-07 if you like the TJ-08; the internal layout is the same but you get two 120mm fans behind a door instead of a single 180mm fan with a grille. I actually saw someone mount a dual-120mm water cooling radiator in the PS-07, if that's your thing

Noctua has a motherboard compatibility list on their website if you're concerned about any conflicts. It looks like you'll have no problems, based on what I see.

This system will probably use less than 300 watts when fully loaded, so you can drop to a lower-spec PSU to save money. Or you could spend about the same amount and go fanless

For the SSD, the Samsung 830 series is very well regarded both for its speed and its reliability. Dell is using them in business PCs (I have one at my office, in fact). The TJ-08/PS-07 have a 2.5" mounting position on the bottom panel of the chassis, directly below the drive cage, so you can install a 2.5" SSD without giving up any space or obstructing airflow.

I checked out the PS-07. The reason I went for the TJ-08 is because of the external 3.5" bay that I want to use for a card reader. Unfortunately it's inconveniently placed at the bottom. The water cooler is a cool idea for the PS-07 though. Maybe for my next build

I checked out the PS-07. The reason I went for the TJ-08 is because of the external 3.5" bay that I want to use for a card reader. Unfortunately it's inconveniently placed at the bottom. The water cooler is a cool idea for the PS-07 though. Maybe for my next build

The PS-07 comes with an adapter that can convert one of the 5.25" bays into a 3.5" bay. I'm not sure about the TJ-08.

The Noctua NH-U12P SE2 fits very well in the TJ-08/PS-07. If you plan on putting drives into the cage, you might have to mount the fan in the back instead of the front, but otherwise it's almost like this case is made for that cooler: the heat sink brace at the bottom lines up dead-center perfectly in its default position

pejalo wrote:

As for the SSD, I was thinking about a Crucial M4 drive...You think the extra $60 for Samsung is worth it?

You can save $20 by going with the pure drive instead of an upgrade kit. On a new build, especially in a case with a 2.5" mount, you don't need any kits. So, it's now a $40 difference. This combined with Dell's vote of confidence would make me go the Samsung route, but if you're on a budget the M4 has a fairly good reputation, too

The Crucial M4 is very reliable. You shouldn't worry about that one. Other than that, your choices seem very reasonable. You could choose a Western Digital Green for a hard drive if you want the most quiet hard drive.

As for the HDD, I would prefer the WD Green, but Black has the 5 year warranty, whereas Green only has 2 years. It would be the loudest component in my system by far I know, but I've had drives fail in the past and their warranty has saved me. I wish I knew how much louder they were.

Good to hear about the Noctua NH-U12P. I do want to use both fans on it though when overclocking, and I think they'll just fit because of the CPU position on the ASUS P8Z77-M. It's further away from the HDD cage than the motherboard used in the TJ-08 review. I ordered the case and motherboard today and will measure when they get here.

Hey there, love the build. Did the CPU cooler work well in that case in the end? I'm thinking about building a very similar computer. Probably going PS-07 case, and might remove the drive cage entirely since I only need 1HD, 1 external and a SSD space, and getting a fanless seasonic 460W. Just want to make sure it's not going to get too gummed up in the case!

Also, how's the sound on that video card? Everyone says it's quiet, trying to decide if I want to grab an aftermarket fan for the GPU.

Hey sorry for the late response, I was on vacation. The Noctua NH-U12P cooler fits perfectly (very tight) with both fans attached and 90-degree angled SATA connectors. I think the motherboard I chose is unique in that the CPU is positioned particularly close to the rear connectors. The ASUS P8Z77 PRO version would not have fit with both CPU cooler fans! I'm not sure about the PS-07.

The IceQ X is relatively quiet for a video card. It's still the loudest component in my case by far and has a slight high-pitched hum that makes it stand out. I'm planning on getting a 3rd party cooler for it. The build is quiet overall, but I think a better video cooler would make it even more noticeably quiet.

Hey guys I thought I would follow up with an image on how everything fit. I was able to pack everything I wanted into the case:-all 3 external bays are filled (blu-ray burner and drawer at the top, 3.5" media card reader at the bottom)-the drive cage is holding a full-sized hard drive, an SSD and an extra notebook-sized drive-both fans fit on the CPU cooler

NOTE: I'll repeat, the ASUS P8Z77-M motherboard has the CPU position closer to the rear than other motherboards, allowing just enough space to fit the second Noctua fan shown here to the left of the heatsink. I had to use twisty-ties to keep some of the hard drive cables from drifting into the fan blades.

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